FIG. 1 shows a prior art bottle having a generally rectangular configuration. This bottle is the subject of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,321 and 6,749,075, each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. While that bottle has enjoyed commercial success and very satisfactorily performs its intended functions, there is an ever growing need to improve such bottles, and to reduce the cost for shipping such bottles.
For example, the bottle shown in FIG. 1 is typically shipped from a beverage packer, e.g., cranberry juice, to the distribution outlets (e.g., grocery store) using conventional cardboard cases each holding eight bottles, and it is not unusual that five cases are stacked one on top of the other for a total of 40 bottles. In this case, the lowermost layer of eight bottles supports the weight of the remaining 32 bottles, each 64 oz. bottle weighing about four lbs, or 32 bottles×4 lbs each=128 lbs. When the cases are stacked as such, a corrugate (formed from the top of a lower case and the adjacent bottom of an upper case) is provided between each layer, for added load bearing, as each bottle has a top loading capacity of about 45 lbs.
In addition, the top portion of the bottle shown in FIG. 1 is designed to receive an auxiliary (adhesive) label in the grip area, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,321 and 6,749,075. The label is applied during of after the bottling process in which the bottle is held firmly by the top and bottom ends. Because the contained beverage is pasteurized, the side walls of the container are subject to vacuum deformation which in part is dealt with by providing the bottle with vacuum accommodating sections such as vacuum panels on the bottom portion of the container, or auxiliary vacuum deformation portions that may be located in the grip portion, the base portion and/or other portions of the bottle. Any vacuum deformation in the top part of the bottle where the label is to be applied can compromise the positioning and/or registration of the label.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2001/0037992 discloses a bottle with reinforcing ribs around the bottle waist. However, that bottle does not relate to a rectangular bottle or ones where reinforcement is placed at the top portion of the bottle, e.g., where the shoulder and/or bell structure is located.
Thus, a need has developed in the bottling art to provide address one or more of these challenges.